Eli Lake: Nikki Haley Rocks UN

Eli Lake writes at Bloomberg that while most of the focus was on the Jerusalem vote “sideshow” at the UN this week, Ambassador Nikki Haley made real accomplishments this week:

Let’s start with the meaningful 15-0 vote on Friday to impose new sanctions on North Korea. The U.S. persuaded China, North Korea’s primary patron, and Russia, another key trading partner to the Hermit Kingdom, to go along with the resolution — no small feat. The new sanctions cap oil exports to North Korea at current levels and demand countries expel North Korean foreign workers. The sanctions could be tougher, but diplomacy is a give and take.

On Thursday, the same day of the General Assembly vote, the UN Security Council quietly passed resolution 2396, 15-0, urging all member states to better screen for foreign fighters returning from Syria, imposing new checks on fake passports and requiring member states to notify other countries when such fighters are detained or prosecuted.

Finally, Haley won a personal diplomatic victory on Iran. This week German government spokesman Steffen Seibert acknowledged a recent UN report on the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal that compiled evidence of Iranian missile transfers to Houthi rebels in Yemen. “The findings contained in the secretary-general’s report reinforce our fears that Iran is violating the restrictions on the transfer of arms and ballistic missiles imposed on it,” Seibert said. “The report contains several clear indications that there is Iranian involvement in the firing of missiles on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia on July 22 and November 4, i.e. missiles launched by the Houthis in Yemen.”